Bethlehem officials tonight debated the merits of whether to maintain the bridge’s center concrete median. State officials proposed an alternate design that did away with the median in favor of establishing a designated bike lane.

Bethlehem police Sgt. John Karb told the state officials that area bicyclists prefer shared bike lanes over designated bike lanes and that taking away the concrete median would increase head-on collisions. The concrete median also allows police to keep one side of the bridge open during running events and firework shows, he said.

“I don’t see what we gain by eliminating it,” Karb said.

Ryan Whittington, a state consultant on the project, said feedback like Karb’s is exactly what state officials are seeking at this point in the project. The project is being preliminarily designed, with a final design expected in fall 2014, he said.

State officials would keep at least one lane in each direction open during the construction period, which is expected to last two years, Whittington said. The bridge’s sidewalk would be repaired first and then each side of the bridge would be repaired in different years, he said.

Trucks won’t be allowed on the bridge for an estimated six to 12 weeks in the second year of the project, officials said.

Bethlehem officials are working on plans to realign the right-turn lane onto Center Street on the bridge’s northbound side with the traffic signal to make the pedestrian crosswalk safer. State officials said they’re thinking about also doing away with the slip lane on the opposite corner.

That suggestion met with mixed reviews. Bethlehem Councilman Michael Recchiuti said he feared doing away with the lane would cause traffic backups on West Lehigh Street but Councilwoman Karen Dolan said she believes the bridge’s slip lanes are too dangerous.

The bridge’s new sidewalk will get three bump-outs where people can stop to admire the view and read historical markers that may be installed there, Whittington said. The state also is contemplating the installation of painted round markers on the sidewalk with the I-beam emblem to highlight the invention’s history in the city, he said.

The state also is looking to add acorn-style lights to the bridge that are identical to those in the South Side business district and also to have the bridge’s sidewalk connect directly to Third and New streets, Whittington said.